Nearly three-quarters of parents missed out on their first choice of Leicestershire’s most popular school this year.

Just 29 per cent of those who put Sheepy Magna Church of England Primary School as their first choice secured a place for this September.

The school had 3.5 first preference applications, 21 in total, for each of its six offered places.

In total there were 5.5 preferences for each place, but no one who put the school as a second or third preference got a place.

It also hard to get a place at King Richard Infant and Nursery School, in Leicester, with 1.6 first preferences for every place offered, and just 59 per cent of those who put the school as their first choice getting a place.

Madani Girls’ School was the hardest secondary to get into, with just 45 per cent of those who put it as a first preference getting a place.

There were 2.2 first preferences, a total of 133, for each of its 60 places offered.

Overall there were 3.4 preferences for each place for children starting this September.

At Beauchamp College, in Leicestershire, there were a total of 2.1 preferences for each place, and 1.5 first preferences per place, with just 64 per cent of those who put it as a first choice offered a place.

Oakgrove School in Milton Keynes is the toughest primary school in the country to get a place at.

Just 24 per cent of those who put it as a first preference secured a place in 2017.

It had 4.2 first preferences, 100 in total, for each of the 24 places offered, and 11.2 preferences per places in total.

The Royal School in Wolverhampton was the hardest secondary to get into, with just 11 per cent of those who put it as a first preference getting a place.

There were 8.9 first preferences, a total of 295, for each of its 33 places offered.

Overall there were 21.4 preferences for each place for children starting this September.

The data from the Department for Education is based on figures from National Offers Day.

Data held directly by individual schools may differ, for example, because late applications were included.

The application deadline for applying for a Reception place is January 15, 2018, while it is October 31, for secondary applications.